Digi Yatra participation purely voluntary; data can be collected only after passenger’s consent: Scindia reassures passenger privacy

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has affirmed that participation in Digi Yatra, the digital initiative aimed at enhancing air travel experience, is entirely voluntary for passengers. Airport personnel have been instructed to gather data for the application only with the explicit consent of passengers, Scindia stated.

This assurance comes in response to concerns raised by Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale regarding the collection of biometric data for Digi Yatra without passengers’ consent. Digi Yatra, designed to facilitate contactless and seamless movement of passengers at airports through Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), is currently operational at a minimum of 13 airports for domestic travelers.